Live Free or Die Hard

Why Is Live Free or Die Hard Rated PG-13?

This intense action thriller contains very high levels of violence for a US rated PG-13 film. Dozens of primary and secondary characters are killed by gunfire, beatings, vehicle accidents and other means. Often, we see brutal beatings and injuries on screen—like a man’s head smashing through a windshield, a person being slammed against a wall, or someone getting shot with blood effects. Some of these physical confrontations involve women, and one female character is portrayed as being nearly invincible until she meets a violent death at the hands of her male opponent (which involves being strangled with a cable and then dropped down an elevator shaft). Frequent profanities include many moderate and mild expletives along with terms of Christian deity. Sexual content is limited to one scene where a couple is seen kissing in a car and the man places his hand on a woman’s clothed breast (an action to which she objects).